The “10th Anniversary Memorial Overlap Bunko All-Star Assemble Special” livestream held this Sunday revealed, among other things, the first trailer for the upcoming animated adaptation of Okano Yuu’s light novel series Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha (“The Unwanted Undead Adventurer”), and a premiere date for January 2024. The livestream also revealed the opening theme song “Immortal”, performed by JUVENILE.
The series is produced by CONNECT and directed by Akitaya Noriaki (Slow Loop, Bakuman.), with scripts by Sugawara Yukie (Overlord, Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu). Suzuki Ryouta (Ishigami Yuu from Kaguya-sama) is voicing the protagonist.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEaW9p7LXvc]
Okano originally launched the series on Shousetsuka ni Narou on September 22, 2016. Overlap later acquired it and put it to print with illustrations by Jaian on October 25, 2017, under their Overlap Novels imprint; twelve volumes have been released as of May 25, 2023. A manga adaptation illustrated by Nakasone Haiji was also serialized on Overlap‘s Comic Gardo website on November 24, 2017, reaching eleven volumes so far. J-Novel Club licensed both the novel and the manga in English.
For ten years, Rentt Faina has been barely eking out a living as a bottom-rank adventurer, fighting skeletons and goblins in a nearby dungeon and trading the loot for food. While he lacks the talent to go much further in life, he still clings to the vain hope of making it to the top ranks sooner or later. One day, he takes a different turn and discovers an uncharted path, but his newfound dreams of glory only last for a moment before a dragon descends on him and devours him in one gulp. However, he unexpectedly comes back to life as a bleached skeleton, unable to speak without vocal cords. He almost resigns himself to the fate of being felled by some adventurer before he remembers a story he heard long ago: all creatures in this world can absorb magic energy from those they defeat, but while humans merely become stronger, monsters can evolve into whole new beings. Thus, he resolves to become stronger than a skeleton and regain the gift of speech to find someone to help him.
